


With heart to endure the ocean

by papayascents



Category: Original Work
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, Cunnilingus, F/F, He/Him Lesbians, Human/Monster Romance, Long-Distance Relationship, MerMay, MerMay 2019, Secret Relationship, Small Towns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-10
Updated: 2019-07-10
Packaged: 2020-06-26 02:36:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19758850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/papayascents/pseuds/papayascents
Summary: After returning from the big city to take care of her ailing mother, Sol takes over the family fishing business. The aunties are nosy and Sol feels stifled, but fortunately there's one person she loves to meet every morning--even if it means sailing out into the loneliest stretches of the sea.





	With heart to endure the ocean

**Author's Note:**

> Written for MerMay 2019.

The wooden floor was cool underneath Sol’s feet as she got out of bed in the gray hours of the morning, yawning and clutching the blankets around her. She hadn’t slept well at all. The muggy heat that wrapped itself around her hometown in the summer had persisted late into the night, and it wasn’t until the temperature had dropped long after midnight that Sol had finally fallen asleep, sweaty and exhausted from tossing and turning.

She wanted to stay in bed and savor the coolness while it lasted, but there was work to do—and, more importantly, somebody to see. Sol got ready quickly, tiptoeing with practiced ease around the kitchen as she ate her rice porridge and readied her lunch. She paused by her mother’s bedroom before leaving and made sure that the pitcher of water next to her bed was filled and her medicine within easy reach. Then she crept out the front door and into the still-dark morning.

Despite the early hour, the town of Kelpberry was awake and running. They were fisherpeople, nearly all of them, so the day began before the sun even rose. Sol nodded and called out greetings to her neighbors as everyone made their way to the docks. It had been her mother’s routine, once, to walk with the other fisherwomen and exchange gossip about their children, their husbands, and the price of bitter melon, but Sol only had the patience to perform the most basic of courtesies. Nevertheless, some of the women persisted in roping her into conversation.

“How is your mother doing?”

“She’s doing well, thank you. The new medicine the doctor prescribed is helping her manage the pain better.”

“It must be hard to come back from somewhere as big as Bluemint and do this simple job. Ah, but what would you have done with that degree of yours, anyway? It’s not like you need to quote poetry to catch a husband!”

“Ha! Isn’t it the other way around? A husband would have to quote poetry to catch her, and not many of our boys are keen on poetry, are they? Still, they’re good men. They work hard. Anyone caught your eye yet, Sol, or are you still mooning after that city boy you left behind?”

Sol was never happier on those morning walks than when she caught sight of her mother’s ship, _Haenyeo_ , painted in the familiar, weather-worn stripes of blue, red, yellow, and white. She undid the ropes tying it to the dock and clambered on, waving to the other fisherwomen. “Good luck, aunties! May your nets be full.” Then, because she needed to rebel in some way, she added: “There is a boy, but he’s not from the city or from here.”

She left the fisherwomen gossiping furiously amongst themselves about who her secret love might be. Nosy old hags. They could scratch their heads about it all they wanted. They would never be able to figure it out. After all, the boy she loved wasn’t even of the land—or of anything else they could imagine.

*

Every fisherperson had a stretch of ocean that they liked to frequent because it netted them the best catch, and Sol guarded the location of hers more secretively than anyone else. She didn’t think that anyone would follow her even if they knew, however. She went further than most people dared, into the areas that the most superstitious among the townspeople still believed to be guarded by sea monsters and demons. It afforded her the quiet and privacy that she wanted.

She arrived at the spot and dropped anchor so she could start preparing for her guest. A pot of water went on the gas stove first, for the coffee. Sol didn’t like coffee very much herself, but her guest loved it, so of late she’d taken to browsing coffee enthusiast forums to find the best brands. Every time she smelled the bitter fragrance now, she thought of the boy she loved.

She’d just finished making the coffee when he arrived. He announced himself like he always did: with a song that spread over the open waters like the day’s first sunlight. The music filled Sol’s mind with images of underwater canyons and fish larger than elephants, and right as it ended, Muoi’s head popped out of the water by the side of her boat, his pointed teeth bared in a grin. 

“Is that a new type of coffee bean I smell?”

“Actually, yes. How did you smell it even in the water?” Sol marveled. 

“My people are cousins to sharks. Our noses are keen.”

He hauled himself up the ladder she’d installed for him. It was always a feat to watch: with a thick, muscular fish tail instead of legs, he had to rely solely on his upper body strength, of which he had plenty. Sol shamelessly admired how the muscles in his arms and abdomen strained, and then he was on the boat, which creaked under his weight. His tail alone was at least six feet, and even though he coiled it around him neatly, he still took up nearly half the deck on Sol’s small boat.

“I have a present for you,” he announced, reaching into the pouch which hung around his neck.

“Mm, yes, I’m sure you do,” Sol said, trailing her eyes down his throat to his breasts. Water glistened on them like the clearest of crystals, the only adornment he ever needed. 

Just like any other child in her seaside town, Sol had grown up on stories of mermaids. Muoi looked nothing like the children’s book illustrations of girls with beautiful, lustrous black hair and ivory skin, whose only distinction from humans was their fish tail. Even if his skin hadn’t been the rich, greenish brown of kelp, other things would have betrayed his inhuman nature, from his webbed fingers to the long, thick tongue that flickered out whenever he spoke. 

But other than his tail, it was his eyes that were most striking: they were round, too large in his narrow face, and the iris so pure a black that the pupil was lost within it. His eyes entranced Sol, as they had since the first time she’d come face-to-face with him over the edge of her boat. 

“Stop being lewd for a moment and pay attention to my present,” he complained, and Sol finally noticed what he held out to her in the palm of his hands. 

It was a netted bag, woven from silvery strands that Sol couldn’t identify. Dozens of small octopuses, no bigger than Sol’s thumb, wriggled inside, making the bag bulge and stretch. At first glance, they looked like the nakji that Sol ate with her mother, but then she saw that inside each octopus was something hard and teardrop-shaped. It glimmered through the translucent skin in different colors: some the same purple-blue as the rare orchids her mother bred in her hothouse, others an even darker scarlet than the freshly-cut tuna on display at the fish market. 

“Are those jewels?” she exclaimed.

“They’re hearts,” Muoi said, smiling widely like he did whenever he surprised her with something new. “These are abyss octopus. My people say that their hearts are stones because they’re tough enough to survive in the deepest, most dangerous trenches in the ocean. Whatever the case, no octopus’ heart has the same color as another, probably because no octopus is exactly like another.” 

Sol took the bag from his hands and studied the octopuses more closely. It was true that no heart was exactly like another. There were subtle differences in shade and intensity, and some even had abstract patterns that Sol could barely make out if she squinted. 

“What do we do with them?” she asked. “Keep them as pets?”

Muoi blinked. “We eat them, obviously. They’re delicious.”

Sol’s mouth gaped. “But you just told me such a beautiful story about them! You mean they’re only food?”

“They’re a delicacy,” Muoi said, huffing. “It’s not as if you don’t eat things that are beautiful and symbolic.”

“Are you talking about cows again?” She’d shown him pictures on her phone once and he’d gone into raptures. 

Muoi’s eyes went dreamy. “They’re majestic. And you said that land people are descended from them.”

“That’s just a story!” 

“So is what I told you about abyss octopuses. For all we know, there’s a practical reason why their hearts are stone.”

Sol huffed. He gave her a beautiful present like this and then expected her to eat it? Sometimes there was no understanding him. Still, it was sweet of him to bring it in the first place. He was always so eager to see her reactions to his gifts, his dark eyes glittering and his entire body tense. She wanted him, all of a sudden. She always did—it was, as much as necessity, what got her up every morning—but now it was sharp and hot in her belly.

“Put these somewhere safe,” she said, giving the bag back to Muoi. “I want to kiss you.” 

The tension in Muoi’s body shifted into something more heated, mirroring her own desire. As soon as he’d deposited the bag and pouch onto an overturned crate, she threw her arms around him and pressed their mouths together. 

His lips were cool and tasted of salt. Sol held him close, her hands running over his chest and arms so she could feel the carefully controlled strength in every flex of his muscles. His own hands lay still and expectant on her hips; he wanted to touch her, but he would wait until she showed him what she wanted. Even though he was stronger than her ten times over, she could still bend him to her will. It thrilled her every time.

She nipped at his lower lip, demanding that he open his mouth. He moaned, obeying easily, and she sucked the tip of his tongue into her mouth. It was thick and heavy, nothing like a human’s tongue. Sol sucked eagerly, drooling at the sensation of her mouth being stretched out. She kept her eyes open so she could watch Muoi’s reaction: he closed his eyes and whimpered, more of his tongue lolling out as she drew it further into her mouth. Sol’s cunt clenched.

Even when she stopped sucking, his tongue remained out, now swollen and obscenely slick with her spit. He was panting, his broad chest heaving and tail twitching as he held himself still for her next instructions. His eyes were glazed over, large and dark and fathomless. A docile, pretty monster, all for her.

“Wait here,” she said, and went into the cabin. She retrieved the thick woolen blankets that she always kept there and came back out, laying them on the deck. Then she unbuttoned her shirt, shucked off her pants, and lay down carefully on the blankets. Muoi watched her the entire time, tongue flickering.

“You want me to use my tongue,” he said, bending forward and bracing his hands on either side of her head. His salt-streaked hair pooled around her face, his body covering hers and blotting out the sky above. He could have easily held her down, but he never did. 

“Smart boy.” Sol stroked her hand down his throat, tracing over his collarbones before cupping one of his breasts and squeezing. They were small, but when they hung down like this it was easy to get a handful and play. She squeezed and bounced his tits in her hands, watching how his tongue rolled out as he moaned. Saliva dripped onto her chest and stomach, and the ache that had been growing in her cunt became unbearable.

“Lick me,” she panted, grabbing onto his shoulders and arching up. “I want you to touch me everywhere with your tongue and then fuck my pussy.”

Muoi shuddered. “Oh, yes.” 

He started at her navel and dragged his tongue up to her breasts slowly. He did it again and again, mapping different paths until Sol’s skin was damp and her nipples stiff. Only then did he wrap his tongue around them. For all the times that Sol had sucked on his nipples, working them until they were sore, he rarely used his mouth on hers, mindful of his pointed teeth. Sol didn’t find herself longing for his mouth, though, not when his tongue was so nimble. It played with her nipples as cleverly as fingers, flicking and then curling around one to tug until she was crying out.

“Muoi, Muoi,” she called out. “Oh, gods!” 

He was tireless. As soon as one nipple softened, he went back to licking it. His tongue was cool and wet and just a little rough. Eventually, both of Sol’s nipples were so swollen that they stayed peaked without his ministrations. Her thighs were damp as well, though not because of Muoi’s tongue. It was her own cum, dripping from her cunt hot and sticky.

She pushed on his shoulders, demanding, “Now. Fuck me now!”

To her displeasure, he didn’t do so immediately. He licked her thighs instead, lapping up the cum with single-minded focus. 

She slapped his shoulder but he didn’t even flinch. “You tease! I want you inside me.”

He lifted his head, swiping his tongue over his mouth. It left behind a shiny, sticky trail. “You taste good. I didn’t want to let any of this go to waste.”

Sol lifted her legs and hugged her knees to her chest. “You want to taste me? Then come here.”

The hungry look on Muoi’s face gratified her, but it was nothing compared to the pleasure that wracked her body when he lowered his head and finally licked her cunt. Sol let out a satisfied sigh and tightened the grip on her knees, holding herself open for him. 

It had been awkward the first time they’d done this. They’d had to figure out how their bodies fit together, how to coordinate their movements so they didn’t clash or strain themselves. Now Muoi moved with graceful ease, his tongue flicking over the outer edges of her folds before delving in deep. He stroked her clit in exactly the spot that made her stomach drop out and her toes curl, as relentless as he’d been when playing with her nipples.

Sol couldn’t catch her breath. She was quickly being overwhelmed by the sparks that coursed through her every time Muoi’s tongue dragged over her swollen clit, until it wasn’t an ebb and tide of pleasure so much as a constant ache that had her sobbing and begging Muoi, “Please, please, fill me up with your tongue.”

This time, he didn’t tease. He slid his tongue inside her cunt, deeper than anyone else ever had. Sol’s eyes rolled back and she let go of her knees, her muscles too lax to hold on any longer. Muoi gripped her gently by the thighs and held her legs up as he started fucking her with long, slow strokes. Sol finally relaxed and let her body go limp. Every ache in her body and every worry clouding her mind bled away, replaced by the delicious pressure of Muoi’s tongue stuffing her cunt.

His tongue was as dexterous as human fingers, but in girth and length it was larger than any toy Sol had ever used on herself. It had taken her a while to get used to it, but now she couldn’t be satisfied with anything else. She watched him through half-lidded eyes as he fucked her with endearing, single-minded focus. The part of his tongue that was still visible hung from his mouth, flexing as he pressed inside her to her limit. Drool dripped down his chin, hitting the deck with loud plops in the silence that surrounded them, and he whined and huffed softly, as caught up in it as if he was the one being pleasured.

Sol couldn’t take it anymore. She reached between her legs to rub her clit, crying out, “Harder, Muoi, fuck me harder!”

He increased his rhythm, and Sol was grateful for the fact that he was holding her up, because the only thing she could manage as the breath was knocked out of her was rubbing her slick and swollen clit. The tingling heat it produced and the steady pounding from Muoi’s tongue had Sol screaming, the noise swallowed up by the expanse of water. 

“Muoi, Muoi, Muoi, oh gods,” she panted. She arched her back and came clenching hard around his tongue. She thrust her hips up and rode it until her shuddering had subsided and her cunt felt over sensitive. 

Muoi withdrew his tongue slowly. The wet, sticky noises it made were embarrassingly loud, but Sol didn’t care. She was boneless and lightheaded, and only started coming back to herself when Muoi kissed her forehead and stroked her hair. He was a solid, gentle presence still leaning over her. 

When she made eye contact with him, he smiled and asked, “Feel good?”

She nodded. “You were amazing. As always.”

The flush that spread across his face turned his cheeks a dark purple, like the tart plums that Sol loved eating in winter. She laughed and cupped his face in her hand, bringing him down for a kiss. “You’re cute.” 

The salty flavor that was all Muoi mingled now with an earthier, more coppery taste that Sol recognized as her own. He’d been the one who fucked her, but she’d left her mark on him nevertheless. Of course, that didn’t mean that she was entirely done with him. She trailed a hand down his chest and tweaked one of his already-pert nipples.

Muoi gasped. “Sol—“ 

She pinched his nipple again, harder this time. She didn’t mirror his gentleness when touching him, and she didn’t need to. They both liked it when she was a little rough. “Do you want to be fucked, too?”

His answer was immediate: “Oh yes, please!”

Fucking Muoi always meant watching one of her favorite things in the world: Muoi unfurling his beautiful, shimmering tail. It took a little bit of maneuvering, and _Haenyeo_ sent wide ripples across the water as the boat rocked back and forth, but the end result was Muoi leaning back on his elbows, his tail stretching the length of the deck. 

Sol stroked his tail reverently. It was damp and cool—he was cool everywhere, no matter how much he exerted himself or how aroused he became—and the scales felt smooth as porcelain underneath her fingers. The mermaids in Sol’s children’s books had rainbow-colored scales; Muoi’s were a red ombre, ranging from the delicate coral pink of his fins to the pomegranate scarlet of the scales that faded into skin right below his navel. 

She petted a particularly eye-catching streak of cherry red, and Muoi’s breath hitched. “S-Sol, please—it’s sensitive.” 

She pressed a kiss to the spot. “I know. That’s why I’m doing it.”

Experience had taught her how to touch Muoi so that he was desperate by the time she finally pushed her fingers inside him. Something about Sol playing with his tail always drove him wild. She gathered that it was both the physical sensation—his tail was as sensitive as his nipples, which hardened immediately if she so much as blew on them—and the fact that the tail was an especially intimate place for his people. 

It worked out in Sol’s favor either way. She loved stroking and kissing his tail, so as always, she lavished attention on it, lingering over the spots where she knew he was most sensitive. Muoi’s moans grew progressively louder, webbed fingers working his nipples in tandem with her touch until they were swollen. 

It was different than when he’d been fucking her. The need to make her feel good had steadied him, given him a reason to hold onto his control. Now that he was lost in his own pleasure, he was a helpless, wanton thing. She liked him best like this: so needy and open, ready for her to do with as she pleased.

She was soon rewarded for her efforts. A slit opened in Muoi’s tail, below his navel and close to where his scales ended. Sol watched greedily as the scales folded back on themselves like a night flower unfurling its petals, widening the slit until her fist could have easily fit inside. Muoi only opened up like this when he was at his most aroused; it made Sol work all the harder for that moment.

She straddled his tail, moaning at the friction between her legs as she spread them to accommodate his girth. She could come again just from rubbing herself against him like this. There were more important things at hand right now, though. Namely, Muoi arching his back and tail against her, slurring pleas to fuck him. His eyes were blank of everything except a hazy pleasure and his tongue lolled down his chest. Sol stroked his face, drinking it all in.

“You’re perfect like this,” she breathed, and pushed three fingers inside him. 

The first thing Sol had learned about Muoi’s cunt was that it was cool inside. It had been strange and nearly off-putting, but she’d grown to enjoy it, especially since his pussy still clung to her fingers tightly enough to give her a perfect, slick hole to fuck into. The second thing was that his clit was positioned in such a way that her fingers brushed against it every time she thrust into him. She took full advantage of it as she began fucking him, curling her fingers so they would press against the swollen nub.

Muoi wailed, “Sol, Sol, please—!” The rest of his words meandered into guttural moans and cries, but Sol could understand the arch of his back and the wild bucking of his tail.

She clamped her thighs tightly around him and plunged another finger inside, increasing her pace so she could fuck him in the harsh, rapid rhythm that he loved. “Sweet little Muoi,” she crooned, stroking his hair out of his face. “This is what you need, isn’t it? It’s okay. I’ll give it to you until you can’t take it anymore.” 

He didn’t last for very long. Whenever his slit opened, it meant that he was close to climax and only needed a little push to go over the edge. Sol gave it to him as she’d promised, taking her own pleasure in riding his tail and burying her fingers inside him as deeply as she could go. He came apart on a particularly rough thrust that had Sol in up to her knuckles, thrashing so hard that Sol had to grip his shoulders to stay in place. Thick, opalescent cum dripped out of his slit and onto the deck.

Sol withdrew her fingers, peppering Muoi’s face with kisses as he came down from his orgasm. “You were so wonderful,” she said. “So beautiful. My sweet, precious one.”

Muoi was still breathing hard, his chest flushed the same dark purple as his face, but his eyes had cleared up. They sparkled with mischief as he said, “You’re very corny after sex, you know.”

Sol huffed. “I mean every word!”

“I know. That’s what makes it so corny.” He looked away, suddenly shy. “It makes me happy how much you like me, though, since I like you. A lot.”

Sol knew that, of course. Why else would he come see her every morning without fail, and go through difficulties to bring her his little treasures? But even so, her heart swelled and she grabbed his face, kissing him firmly. “I don’t just like you, you silly boy,” she breathed when they parted. “I love you.”

It was the first time she’d ever said it aloud. She held her breath, waiting for his answer—she was sure of it, she was, but still—and after only a moment Muoi’s smile spread across his face broader than the ocean. His answer came as clear and sweet as one of the songs he always sang for her: “I love you, too, Sol.” 

*

After eating a hearty breakfast of rice, lettuce, ssam, and the abyss octopus—each one a delightfully tangy and chewy mouthful—Muoi helped Sol with her fishing. She used to be embarrassed to rely on him, but she’d since learned that there was no shame in accepting help from someone who cared about her. 

For most of her day, she was alone: she took the fish to market herself, cleaned and hawked them herself, argued with customers herself, and dragged herself home with the sun high in the sky to take care of her mother and the house before collapsing into bed. Out here on the ocean, however, she worked in tandem with Muoi. Their choreography was elegant: he swam in the waters around the boat, singing and drawing dozens of fish into Sol’s waiting nets, and she hauled them onto the deck to kill and clean. 

She loved watching Muoi while he swam. He was a blur, a flash of shimmering red as he passed by the boat, the notes of his song trailing in his wake. Whenever he broke the surface, there was pure joy on his face. If he was beautiful on Sol’s boat, he was at home in the ocean, where the strength that he kept carefully contained burst forth in all its grace and power. 

After they had caught all the fish that Sol could possibly sell in a day, Muoi joined her in preparing them. Sol used a spike to pierce the fishes’ brain and a bucket to drain their blood; Muoi simply stayed in the water and used one long, sharp nail that he extended. The blood drifted away in scarlet clouds, but Sol didn’t worry about sharks or other predators. They never came near while Muoi was there.

“There,” Muoi said, handing Sol the last fish. “This should bring you a lot of money, right?” Despite the fact that he had very little concept of money, he took an earnest interest in how much she was making.

Sol leaned over the edge of the boat and kissed his forehead. “Yes. There were a lot of rare fish today, so I think I’ll be able to afford my mom’s medication for a while, too.”

Muoi smiled. “Perfect! Then…is it time to say goodbye?”

Sol kissed him on the mouth, fierce and insistent even though her neck hurt. “Only for now,” she said, when she pulled away at last.

Muoi cupped her face in his hands. His dark eyes were sad, but there was only sweetness in his voice as he said, “Yes, only for now.”

He followed her boat for as long as he could, only parting when they reached an area where there were likely to be more fisherpeople. With one last kiss, Sol sent him off. She stood in the stern of the boat, watching him for as long as she could. He was a shadow under the water, going deeper and deeper until there was no trace of him left except the lingering last note of a song.

Sol choked down her loneliness and turned around to guide _Haenyeo_ safely back to dock. What she was returning to was stifling, but she would endure. For she had something beyond Kelpberry and its small-minded people, and it too would endure, patient and vast and full of love.


End file.
